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City in Occitania, France
Photo: Christophe EYQUEM from Vientiane (Laos), CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Carcassonne is a city in southern France, best known for its UNESCO World Heritage listed walled city. It can be visited comfortably as a day trip. Among board game enthusiasts, the city may ring a bell as the inspiration for the 2000 German board game of the same name.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Castle and ramparts. While the castle is largely empty, the walk around the ramparts is spectacular. It is worth setting aside 1½-2 hours for the visit.
Basilique Saint-Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse
The original church is thought to have been constructed in the 6th century. The oldest parts of the current church date back to the 12th century, built in sandstone (exterior facing) in Romanesque style.
Châteaux Cathares et Instruments de Tortures
If you're up to it, this museum is also worth a visit. It's small but filled with torture instruments from the Middle Ages. Not for the squeamish!
Cathédrale Saint-Michel de Carcassonne
The city's magnificent cathedral.
Fortification with four towers, part of the world heritage listing "Royal Capetian Fortresses of Languedoc".
Mostly loosely political films for what is a mostly older, white, (upper) middle-class audience.
horse trail riding and horseback lessons and courses, holiday accommodations, restaurant.
Vietnamese.
Has very friendly service and delicious home-made dishes, including cassoulet.
French cuisine
Nice, sheltered, relatively quiet place to grab an ice cream or drink.
Good place to go on a budget. They offer various activities to guests. There is an extra fee for those who are not Hosteling International members.
Offers moderately priced accommodation in a converted abbey building and is just outside the Cité. Free Wi-Fi and friendly English-speaking reception staff.
Good facilities (tennis grounds and pool) with a path running into the city. Gets fairly crowded in summer.
Mercure Hotel
Decent accommodation.
The most historical, luxurious (and most expensive) hotel in Carcassonne. Operated by Orient Express Hotels.
By plane
Ryanair serves the airport. A shuttle bus (navette aéroport; €6 per person in 2026) runs between the airport and Carcassonne town centre (SNCF railway station).
By bus
Petit train
Parking
To visit the medieval Cité you can use the following parkings:
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Carcassonne · Regional · CCF
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